Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Baked Cod Oreganata



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was surrounded by wonderful cooks as a child, but, surprisingly, my mother was not one of them. She was charming and witty and blessed with a wonderful sense of adventure, but she was not a homemaker. She viewed food as fuel that was to be quickly made and consumed. She had no sense of why anyone might spend hours coaxing a dish to perfection when it would disappear in minutes once set on the table. Mama never realized that those meals made in the neighbor's kitchens fed both body and soul and carried with them a history that tied the old world to the new. Her own childhood, especially the latter parts of it, was a study in the vaguaries of fate. She was a Mayflower Yankee and the child of a lumber baron who was "ruined" - her words not mine - in the Great Depression. These New England Yankees, rich or poor, generally had simple tastes in food. I knew what day of the week it was by what appeared on my mother's dinner table. Sunday was boiled dinner and Wednesday was fish chowder made from dried or frozen cod. Always. There was a time I vowed I'd never eat cod fish again. I was, of course, infirm of purpose. I loved cod cakes and and a well-made fish stew, and when the Silver Fox and I moved to the East coast, I was introduced to the glorious simplicity of baked or broiled cod fillets. I stopped by the fish market today and they had just received a shipment of fresh cod. I brought home enough to make fresh cod cakes which I'll explore later in the week, as well as gorgeous fillets to bake for our dinner tonight. Most of the restaurants that pepper the shore towns of the Jersey coast are Italian, so it should come as no surprise that my fillets are what we call "oreganata". They are lightly covered with crumbs that contain oregano, garlic and cheese and then baked until the fish flakes and the crumbs are a golden brown. Hopefully, those events occur simultaneously. If not, remember God created broilers for a reason. I suspect most of you already have a recipe for baked or broiled cod, but on the odd chance there are still some who need a recipe I thought I'd share mine with you. The recipe defines simplicity and is next to no work to execute. If you can get fresh cod I know you'll enjoy this. Here is my recipe for baked cod oreganata as it's made by almost every restaurant at the Jersey shore.

Baked Cod Oreganata...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2 pounds cod fish fillet, cut into 4 (8-ounce) portions
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray

Directions:
1) Rinse fillets under cold water and let drain.
2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
3) Blend bread crumbs, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheese and olive oil in a small bowl. Blend until crumb mixture is well-combined and semi-moist.
4) Place cod fillets in prepared pan. Cover generously with crumb mixture. Lightly spray each fillet with nonstick spray.
5) Bake until fish flakes easily and crumbs are lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Elegant Baked Fish - Cooking with Libby
Crispy Panko Baked Fish - The Kitchen Witch
Baked Fish with Lemon Butter and Capers - Simply Delicious
Fish Cakes - Felice in the Kitchen
Crispy Baked Fish - Madison House Chef
Provencal Fish - Angie's Recipes
Creamy Baked Fish - The English Kitchen
Easy Baked Tilapia Fillets - Little Corner of Mine
Greek Orange Roughy - Gonna Want Seconds
Baked Cod Provencal - 2 Frugal Foodies
Baked Halibut - Aayi's Recipes Kitchen
Lovely Baked Sea Bass - Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet
Grilled Swordfish - Felice in the Kitchen

66 comments :

Elin said...

Mary..this is a great way to cook cod . I will try this with salmon , for cod are very very expensive over here in Malaysia...a kilogramme costs almost RM100 = USD35+ which is consider very very expensive :( Salmon is half the price which is affordable :)

Have a nice day and God's blessing :)
Elin

Flavia Galasso said...

That's fine to read about your mother!!! I'm going to cook this "origanata" baked cod fish!! But I'm going also to wait for your cod cake!!! HAve a great week, hugs, Flavia

Linda Starr said...

These are similar ingredients I use in my stuffed mushrooms, the oregano is tasty baked and I suspect this cod is too.

Su m said...

In Portugal we have the Cod tradition, so we cook it in a million different ways.
This recipe of yours sounds delicious so I'm going to take it with me to try it ;)

Priya Suresh said...

Yumm...thats soo inviting and delicious..

Khadija El Mary said...

I love cod fish and the way you cooked it. So inviting and delicious!
Have a nice day Mary!

Sushma Mallya said...

Love ur clicks Mary ..they come out so perfect..looks delicious:)

Ana Rita Marreiros said...

Hi Mary,

At Portugal we cook cod fish in a similar way , with a type of corn bread, that we call Broa.Usually this bread is reduced to bread crumbs and we join parsley, cilantro or garlic, and it goes to the oven.It's a good sugestion and the photo is very apelling...
Kisses,
rita

Jan said...

Love the look of this!

Ana Powell said...

The Portuguese are great fish eaters and one of our favourite fish is cod.
Lovely and flavoursome dish ♥

Anonymous said...

I love cod. My mom used to make spaghetti bolognese every Monday night :)

kitchen flavours said...

Wow, looks really delicious! My whole family loves cod fish, unfortunately it is way too expensive over here. I'm so jealous! :) Have a lovely day!

pam said...

I love cod and this looks wonderful! My mom was also not into cooking, so I have no stories of learning to cook in my mother's kitchen.

My Little Space said...

I like the crust very much. I bet my kids will enjoy it. Bookmarked it for later use. Thanks for sharing. Hope you're having a great week.
Blessings, Kristy

Harika baratam said...

Sounds pleasant. It is very new to me but looks yummy. I guarantee that it would be tasty because u made it.

The Church Cook said...

I love the texture of well cooked cod! This looks fabulous, Mary!!

Elaine said...

I don't have a recipe for cod and now seeing and reading your post makes me want to stop by the store on the way home from work to see if I can get some. Have a lovely day!

Rita said...

The secret as you said is Fresh Cod; since I am here we are discovering the difference with fresh from the ocean and fresh from the supermarket that was caught 2 weeks ago. Lovely recipe.
Rita

StephenC said...

What fun to encounter oreganata for the second time (the first being via JennsFoodJourney last April). I made tilapia this way as a result of her post. Now I must emulate you. Thanks for the reminder.

Unknown said...

Your cod here looks wonderful and I just love how you prepared it!

It's true...when you can get it fresh (and I like it thick too)...cod can hold its own against some of the pricier white fish out there on the market!

Thanks Mary!

Suman Singh said...

I 've never tried cod fish but this looks so yummy and delicious..thanks for sharing!

Sense of Home Kitchen said...

No, I didn't have a really good cod recipe, but I do have cod in my freezer. This recipe will be put to use right away, thanks.

-Brenda

Unknown said...

I adore oreganata! The cod looks wonderful!
Thanks for sharing about your mother and her cooking. Had I not had my grandmother's lasagna to drool over, my mom's would have ruined me for life. Don't know how she could come from a woman who made the best lasagna ever...here's was not appetizing at all! Lucky for all of us she got better at it :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary, sorry I'm so behind with you, I'm trying to catch up with my friends and family and making rounds. It's been quite some time since I've had cod, this looks really chic and quite scrumptious. What are your plans for Easter dinner?

Olive said...

I could use this recipe, Mary..this may change my husband's opinion about baked fish..*fingers crossed* 8) Thanks for sharing both the recipe and your story!

Cooking Creation said...

Oh, dear. I was planning on picking up salmon at the store today but you just changed my mind with this recipe! :)

brandi said...

that looks delicious. I've been wanting to find some new recipes for fish, and I think my husband would love this.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

My mom was not a cook and I don't imagine she even enjoyed it. We also knew what day of the week it was by what was on the table. The only thing that changed was the veggie served with the main dish. She did make a mean pie crust though and dad loved to bake bread and make fritters.

Angie's Recipes said...

This is indeed delicious, esp. the crust. :-))

Pam said...

I love this one Mary. I need to cook more fish and this recipe looks like a winner.

Chef E said...

Mary this looks great! Well, all of your food does :)

Anonymous said...

You are an amazing cook! Everything always looks perfect.

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

What a great, simple way to let the mild flavor of cod shine through. It looks and sounds wonderful! Makes me really miss living on a coast where fresh fish was always available. Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday!

Kelly said...

It's been a very long time since I have had cod, though I really enjoyed eating it when I lived in New England. I love fish with a crunchy, cheesy coating though so this sounds yummy!

Pete said...

Nice way to cook cod, love this recipe!

Sandra said...

Mary I love your dish and the fact that is made from love to the perfection..crunchy and golden!!!
I love what you said about your mom and especially this "She had no sense of why anyone might spend hours coaxing a dish to perfection when it would disappear in minutes once set on the table"..In my eyes that is so true!!

Claudia said...

Mary - this sounds perfect. I always make oreganata with shrimp and I will try this with your cod this week - sometimes my imagination is limited. Funny about the cooking gene, isn't it? My mother had it, I have it and my sister does not. But of course she has her own unique gifts!

Stephen said...

This looks like a great recipe. I am always trying to find new ways to entice my wife to eat fish. The breading might just be the key. I will try it soon.

Sanjeeta kk said...

Really hard to believe that your mom was not inclined to cooking! And to think of a wonderful daughter with such high levels of culinary experiences. So you are a self made cook :)

D said...

Mary, we love to get the wild pacific cod and bake it - our favorite way. I have not tried it with oregano, but will have to do so. PS: sunshine tomorrow!?

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary, My husband and I would love this recipe. Thank you so much for the recipe and I hope you have a nice, relaxing afternoon.

From the Kitchen said...

I'm still here in New England and there's cod all around. Had scallops, just pulled from the sea, a few days ago. No sightings of a great white whale yet but maybe on the way to the airport tomorrow.

Best,
Bonnie

nanny said...

this recipe sounds very good.
we had a cod recipe to try when I was at my daughter's last week but couldn't get our hands on any. whole foods and central mkt both said they sell out as soon as they put it out.....must be very good! used hallibut instead and I loved it!

Unknown said...

I love nothing more than to spend hours on a dish and have it devoured in minutes...Love it!@ Lovely dish...as always too

Wendy Irene said...

I love how simple this is. We are trying to incorporate more fish in our diet so I will keep my eye out for Cod. The only Cod I have had before was at a fish and chip stand. Delicious!

Only Fish Recipes said...

Thanks Mary for visiting my blog and your wonderful comments...baked cod looks just superb delicious !Gr8 to know your blog...will be a regular visitor onwards !

Susan said...

Sounds wonderful, Mary - I think I'll make it with your macaroni & cheese this weekend! Thanks for the story, too.

Deb in Hawaii said...

This looks delicious Mary--love the oregano and breadcrumbs and the fact that it is baked. I will try it on some local fish here.
;-)

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

looks delicious, Mary! Trying to get my family to eat more fish. Breaded will do the trick!

Julia @ DimpleArts said...

Thank you for this great recipe. I am one of the ones that needed it. Hubby and I are trying to eat more fish and this will be a great add to our dinner table.

Joanne said...

Haha my mom is not such a great cook either and thankfully she hasn't scarred me much with her cooking...although I can't really eat chicken cutlets anymore as we had them so much when I was a kid. This oreganata sounds lovely...that panko topping really makes the dish!

Simply Life said...

I've never made anything like this - looks great!

Catherine said...

Dear Mary this is one of my favorite fish to eat..prepared perfectly. Blessings, Catherine xo

Anonymous said...

Lovely recipe. And I really enjoyed the story, too.

Dish by Trish said...

What a lovely post. I am a Jersey shore native...so I should know how to make this but I don't. Thanks so much for sharing. It sounds wonderful.

Kim said...

Cod is certainly one of my favorite fish. This version, I like it very much, lloks so good! Have a good day Mary!

lisa is cooking said...

Cod is one of my favorite kinds of fish. Great to hear you've changed your mind about it! I love how cod flakes into big pieces, and it looks delicious with the orgenata coating.

Miriam said...

My mother never cookied either :). I'm so glad my grandma was fabulous in the kitchen! She taught me so much.
You've got a lovely dish there :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

Anonymous said...

Great recipe! I use a similar one for broiled tilapia!

Ginny Hartzler said...

This one's a keeper! I cannot believe I am comment #60 tonight, gads!! It is 1:45 A.M. and since you usually post shortly after midnight, I was looking for you. And found not tomorrow's, but todays, which had not shown up on my sidebar all day, it has done that with followers about five times now. At least I hope it is that and not senior moments! I just printed this, have been going to try baked tilapia, but I guess this would work with any kind of fish. I have never made baked fish before, I always poach mine with chicken broth and lemon and dill. I enjoyed the story about your mom. My mom was not a good housekeeper, and that made me crazy, so I always was. You sound like me in that way.

The Blonde Duck said...

I can always use more fish recipes! I LOVE cod.

lena said...

my mum has the same thoughts even till today..she couldnt understand why i have to spend so much time making one where i can just get it easily from outside..anyway, the baked cod really sounds delicious, i have not tried baking with cod...would like to try this one day.

Big Dude said...

I have some cod in the freezer waiting for a recipe and here it it.

Joshua said...

I'm a big fan of Oregano. Love it. Now I have a new simple way to prepare it.

Susan said...

Wow, Mary! I made this with your macaroni & cheese with broccoli last night! The fish was great, and together, they were wonderful! I will definitely make them both again. Posting today - have a lovely weekend!

Rebekah Daphne said...

Yum! I was looking for an easy and flavorful recipe for cod. We liked it.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Printfriendly